Enough is enough. There are bigger issues than gay marriage

The Senate’s rejection of the February 11 people’s vote on same-sex marriage should be the time to draw a line under this long-running saga.

Most Australians don’t rate it as a top order issue and, quite frankly, have had enough. Even gay marriage advocates of the Turnbull Government such as Tim Wilson, Trent Zimmerman and their fellow traveller Warren Entsch have rightly said there is no plan B.

It’s plebiscite or nothing.

This was the Coalition’s election commitment; failure to honour it would be a breach of trust.

Gay marriage now remains gridlocked for years and few will be worried about this, apart from activists in the inner city areas of Sydney and Melbourne where rainbow flags adorn shop windows.

Quite frankly there are bigger issues facing the nation.

There is no popular clamour for a change to the Marriage Act. Even the left-leaning GetUp! organisation’s supporters consistently rate same-sex marriage way down their list of priorities, with it coming in at number 16 in their 2015 Vision Survey.

Labor achieved two of its worst primary votes in history promising to legislate same-sex marriage within 100 days. That it has dominated political debate for the past six years is testament to the skill of activists and a pro-change media.

Good on them. We live in a democracy.

But to the extent there has been a consensus, it has been a manufactured one. Australians fearful of being labelled “bigots” have been telling pollsters what the activists wanted to hear.

The little-known reality is that since 2008 same-sex couples have enjoyed full equality under the law. There is no discrimination and the overwhelming majority of Australians bear no ill will in their hearts towards their gay friends.

This is good.

The Turnbull Government, which won an election with a well-publicised pledge to hold a people’s vote on the definition of marriage, is now right to move on to other things.

Sure Labor will try and undermine the Prime Minister’s authority by pressuring government members to break ranks and support various private members’ bills.

How much more parliamentary time will be expended on this issue between now and Christmas? The public expects the Parliament to focus on issues much further up the public’s priority list.

But Australia will fall behind other western nations which have legislated same-sex marriage, is the cry. We’ll be an embarrassment.

But do we really want to see bakers, florists and photographers being fined and hauled before courts because they disagree with the state’s new definition of marriage?

Do we want to see people like former Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran or former Mozilla Chief Executive Brendan Eich hounded from their jobs because they believe marriage is a man-woman thing?

Closer to home, do we want to see people like Hobart’s Catholic Archbishop Julian Porteous in trouble with the law because the local version of the human rights commission thinks Christian teaching on marriage might be hate speech?

If people think the insult and offend clauses of 18C of the federal Racial Discrimination Act has a chilling effect on free speech, wait until a change to same-sex marriage law weaponises state-based anti-discrimination law and state human rights tribunals.

Is this the Australia we want?

Gay people are free under law to love and live the way they want. But changing the definition of marriage has consequences and is unnecessary. (Pic: AFP/Marvin Recinos)

With marriage de-gendered, do we want school toilets and change facilities also de-gendered as ordered by President Obama in post-same-sex marriage America? Parents have had a taste of this with the so-called “Safe Schools” program, whose federal funding runs out in April.

But like America, there will be no stopping other rainbow political agendas if gender is removed from marriage law. Children at school will be on the front line of a compulsory national induction into Queer Theory.

Labor’s successful political manoeuvring to deny the Government’s election mandate and vote down the plebiscite has done the bidding of groups who don’t trust ordinary people to have a say. This is ironic given advocates for change regularly boast of overwhelming public support.

The rationale for blocking the people’s vote is that the debate will be ugly.

But as Western Australian Liberal Senator Chris Back told the Senate this week: “if there has been evidence of intolerance and hate speech it is not from those people who support marriage as it is currently defined”.

Quite simply, you are a bigot and a homophobe if you disagree.

But no, Bill Shorten, Nick Xenophon and the rainbow lobby know better. This is rule by arrogant elites and no wonder Donald Trump, Pauline Hanson and Brexit have become flag bearers for the discontent of the disenfranchised.

Same-sex marriage is an icon for all that is wrong with modern western politics. By blocking the plebiscite, Bill Shorten may have done Australia a favour.

With time, more Australians will wake up to the serious elite-mandated consequences of changing marriage.

They know our gay friends are free under law to love and live the way they want. But changing the definition of marriage has consequences and is unnecessary.

It’s time to move on. But those seeking change won’t and they probably don’t have the patience to wait for Labor to win government again. This means the plebiscite should come back in the future. Either way, Australians will have greater understanding of what is at stake.

Lyle Shelton is the Managing Director of the Australian Christian Lobby